It was their sixth defeat in seven games, and has placed an incredible importance on their mustn't-lose Champions League match in Lyon on Wednesday. The farcical nature of the match at Fulham will inevitably lead to criticism of Rafael Benítez, but for once they may have been mitigating circumstances.

A number of players were unavailable through injury or a virus, so the only decisions that deserve much scrutiny are the substitutions of Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt at different stages of the second half.

Whether they were pragmatic reactions to the realisation that the game was unravelling and that the Champions League is more important this season – as much financially as in terms of potential glory – or an inexplicable decision to prioritise one competition over the other so early in the season is open to debate.

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